I personally believe in the scientific method, I have a lot of faith in it and its ability to hone in on a solid explanation of that we see around us.
Honesty, I really respect you for putting it that way.
No joke.
Also its wrong to assume that an Atheist has any rational reason for his lack of belief in the divine.
Well, I am not assuming, just going by what I used to think, and by what others tell me. I am not making anything up.
For instance if an Atheist doesn’t believe in God because “the pixie under the potting shed said God doesn’t exist” then he is as much an Atheist as the one that discounts God because of the lack of empirical data.
Right, that is why I siad technically you are correct, but we both know that is the exception not the rule.
However, you are right in saying that vast majority of Atheists will cite the lack of empirical data as the overriding reason for their lack of belief, but that does not mean that this worldview is actually required to be an Atheist.
I agree.
Therefore, to reiterate the only thing that defines an Atheist as such is the lack of belief in the divine. He may hold this view for any rational or irrational reason he chooses, and lack of belief in the divine does not exclude the possibility that he may believe in many other things.
Technically yes. But by your own admission, most athiest use the reason of lack of empirical evidence. This is the logic that governs their lives, or way of thinking. Unless the logical ones are hypocrites, then it is safe to assume that they apply this logic to eveything. I bet if we took a survey, we would find this to be true, and after over 3000 posts in here and talking to athiests, this is the general line of thinking that an athiests has. To deny it, is almost a lie.
I am starting another thread in the coffee house to get some answers, I am curious.